in relation to: quality assessments of higher education providers; the delegation of decisions; extending periods of accreditation or registration; the appointment of commissioners; the roles and responsibilities of the Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer; notifying providers of decisions; the scope of ministerial directions; and ministerial approval being required for legislative instruments which determine fees to be charged.

in relation to the regulatory regime for the protection of international submarine cables landing in Australia by: ensuring consistency with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by modifying the regime’s application, including criminal and civil enforcement options, to foreign ships and nationals in the water beyond Australia’s territorial seas; enabling domestic submarine cables to be brought within the scope of the regime by regulation; providing for a consultation process between the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Attorney-General’s department on submarine cable installation permit applications; amending the submarine cable installation permit process by removing the requirement to obtain multiple permits, tightening processing timeframes and removing duplicated processes; and amending the operation of the protection zone declaration, revocation and variation processes; and

to enable an indefinite registration period for numbers on the register;

Telecommunications Act 1997

to: remove the arrangements for the Australian Communications and Media Authority to register e-marketing industry codes; and reduce obligations on telecommunications providers to provide pre-selection; and

to clarify which party is responsible for making telemarketing calls and sending marketing faxes where third parties are carrying out the marketing activities;

Telecommunications Act 1997

to: enable industry codes to be varied; extend the application of the reimbursement scheme for developing consumer-related industry codes to varying these codes; require code developers to publish draft code and draft variations and related public submissions; and make amendments consequent on the new Australian Privacy Principles; and

to: require the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) scheme to comply with standards determined by the minister; and require independent periodic public reviews of the TIO scheme to be conducted.

Implements recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security’s (PJCIS)

Report of the Inquiry into Potential Reforms of Australia’s National Security Legislation

by amending the:

Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979

to: require telecommunications service providers to retain and to secure for two years telecommunications data (not content); require service providers to protect retained data through encryption and preventing unauthorised interference and access; require the PJCIS to review the mandatory data retention scheme no more than three years after the end of the implementation phase; limit the range of agencies that are able to access telecommunications data and stored communications; establish a journalist information warrants regime; restrict the agencies who can access this data; require the minister to refer to the PJCIS any legislative proposal to amend which agencies can access the data; provide for record-keeping and reporting the use of, and access to, telecommunications data; and enable the Commonwealth Ombudsman to assess agency compliance;

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979

to provide that certain matters relating to data retention be included in the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s (ASIO) annual report;

Intelligence Services Act 2001

to enable the PJCIS to inquire into operational matters relating to the use of telecommunications data by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police, in relation to counter-terrorism functions;

Telecommunications Act 1997

to prohibit civil litigants from being able to access certain telecommunications data; and

Part of a package of 15 bills to implement a three-year progressive budget repair levy, the bill amends the

Taxation (Trustee Beneficiary Non-disclosure Tax) Act (No. 1) 2007

to increase to 49 per cent the rate of trustee beneficiary non-disclosure tax where a share of the net income of a trust is distributed to the trustee of a closely held trust and there is no correct trustee beneficiary statement.